Flight diverted and crew sent to hospital due to ‘strong chemical smell’ from passenger’s bag

Crew members were sent to hospital ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ says airline

An American Airlines Boeing 777 on the tarmac (Getty Images)

An American Airlines flight was forced to make a U-turn and divert to its departure point on Wednesday after passengers and crew smelled “a strong chemical odor” from luggage onboard.

AA flight 338 departed Miami International Airport on Wednesday night, bound for Barbados, but had to return to Miami shortly afterwards when those onboard were disturbed by the smell.

Not only was the flight diverted, but passengers were evacuated by emergency services and multiple cabin crew members were sent to a nearby hospital because they felt so unwell from the fumes.

The flight was halfway between the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos when it suddenly turned around and returned to Miami International Airport where it was sent to the “penalty box” to be met by the emergency services.

The U-turn was caused by a “chemical odor in the cabin caused by the contents of a customer’s carry-on luggage” coming from a passenger’s carry-on bag, an AA spokesperson told aviation blog Paddle Your Own Kanoo on Thursday.

“The aircraft landed safely and without incident, and customers deplaned normally,” the statement continued.

Some of the crew were taken to a local hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” said the spokesperson.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department confirmed on Thursday that it had sent a team to inspect and evacuate the plane.

The Boeing 737 aircraft had 172 passengers and six crew members onboard at the time.

A similar incident happened in January 2022, when two Alaska Airlines flight attendants were sent to the hospital after they started to feel unwell after ‘strong chemical smell’ had emanated from the lockers on a flight from Seattle to San Jose.

Meanwhile in 2019 another American Airlines flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia was forced to divert to Dublin after a “spilled cleaning product” caused those onboard to feel unwell.

Two flight attendants passed out from the odour, caused by the CH2200D product containing ammonium chloride, while several passengers complained of burning eyes and skin irritation.

The Independent has approached American Airlines for additional comment.